7 6 4 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Prospective demand of 1930, at the same meager average product 

 per acre, without progress in agricultural science: 



Assuming all land under the plow in 1930 in the ratio as above, 

 the area of all now in all crops 400,000 square miles — an excessive 

 estimate — that year (1930) will call for 667,000 square miles of 

 arable land in actual cultivation. 



I have been accustomed to consider one half our national domain, 

 exclusive of Alaska, good arable land in the absence of any " specula- 

 tion " on that point in the records of the Department of Agriculture ; 

 but from the returns given by the chiefs of the experiment stations 

 and secretaries of agriculture of the States hereafter cited, that esti- 

 mate may be increased probably to two thirds, or 2,000,000 square 

 miles of arable land out of a total of 3,000,000 square miles, omitting 

 Alaska. 



Assuming that we possess 2,000,000 square miles of arable land, 

 capable at least of producing the present meager average product 

 cited above, the conditions of 1930 will be graphically presented on 

 the following diagram : 



Prospective Use of Land in the Year 1930 on Present Crop Average. 



■a 



s 



B 



m 

 re 



03 



"3 

 H 



a 





Oats, 



70,800 

 sq. miles. 



Wheat, 



81,600 



Bq. miles. 



Hay, 



109,400 

 sq. miles. 



Miscellaneous. 

 Roots, cotton, 

 tobacco, etc., 

 168,600 sq. m. 

 Excessive. 



Maize, 



Indian corn, 



226,600 



sq. miles. 



Wheat 



for 



export, 



143,000 



sq. miles. 



Arable land unassigned 1,200,000 square miles. 



Deduct for cities, towns, parks, and reserves of all kinds 200,000 " " 



Reserve for future use 1,000,000 " " 



Forest, mountain, arid, etc., not counted, about 1,000,000 square miles, not in- 

 cluded in these lines or squares. 



c a 



JSP 



C © 

 M n 



§ s 



O 3 



§£ 



-T5 



No reduction on area cultivated on prospective improvement in the present methods of 

 farming, although it may be assumed that the prospective increase of crop per acre will 

 exert great influence. 



If the facts should be in 1930 consistent with Mr. Hyde's " specu- 

 lation " it would therefore appear that our ability to meet the domes- 

 tic demand of 1930 with proportionate export of cattle, provisions, 

 and dairy products, and to set apart a little patch of land for the 

 export of 1,226,000,000 bushels of wheat raised at the rate of only 



